​Description/Learning Objectives

Families are an immense resource in the care, treatment and recovery of individuals with co-occurring mental health and addiction problems. However, they often have limited access to the resources, information and help that they need to be supportive to the ones they love. This six-week online course for health care providers explores the needs of families affected by concurrent disorders as well as the strategies that health care providers can use to empower families and ensure that their experiences are more positive. The recommended pre-requisite for this course is the Concurrent Disorders Core Course.

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

describe the benefits of having families involved in the care of clients affected by concurrent disorders

explain the impact of mental health and addiction problems on families

outline the challenges health care providers encounter while working with families

describe the challenges and barriers families face with the mental health care and addiction system

explain physical, emotional, social and spiritual self-care strategies families can use to reduce their stress

explain how health care providers can provide support.

This course can be taken alone; however, it qualifies as an elective for the Concurrent Disorders Certificate Program.

Electives must be taken within a four-year period after completing the core course; any courses taken prior to the core program will not count toward the certificate. Participants will need to either re-take those courses or select electives that they have not previously taken.